Marble-shooter.



No. 799,224. PATENTED SEPT. 12, 1905. J. M. CUTLER.

MARBLE SHOOTER.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.21, 1003.

W ihjesscs Dangle,

` UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN MILLER CUTLER, OF UKIAH, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES STITT, OF UKIAH, CALIFORNIA.

MARBLE-SHOOTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 1905.

Application iiled December 21, 1903. Serial No. 186,072.

To mi! wiz/07u it muy concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN MILLER OUTLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ukiah, in the county of Mendocino and State of California, have invented a new and useful Marble-Shooter, of which the following' isa specitication.

This invention relates to toys employed for forcibly ejecting marbles and similar projectiles, and has for its object to simplify and improve devices of this character and also to provide means `whereby the force of the ejecting means may be gaged or controlled.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction, as hereinafter shown and described` and specified in the claims.

In the drawing's illustrative of the invention, in which corresponding parts are denoted by like designating' characters, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a toy constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view in section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

The device will be formed in the outlines of a pistol with a "barrel 10 and hand-grip 11 and may be of any required size or of any fanciful form. The parts Inaybe ofanysuitable material, but will preferably be of metal of sufficient strength to withstand the strains to which it will be subjected.

The barrel portion 10 is formed with two laterally-extended longitudinal pockets I2 13, preferably arranged at right angles to each other, with the pocket I2 beneath the barrel and the pocket 13 at one side, as shown. The lever wall of the pocket l2 will preferably be inclined downwardly toward the rear or butt77 end of the pistol, while the pocket 13 preferably extends parallel with the barrel. as shown. IVithin the barrel l() a plunger 14 is slidably disposed and provided with a relatively strong coiled spring l5, arranged between the plunger and the rear of the barrel and forming the ejecting means forthe pistol. The barrel l0 is provided in one side wall with a longitudinal slot 16, extending therethrough opposite to the pocket 13, and extending through this slot from the plunger I4 is an arm 1T, providing means for moving the plunger rearwardly in the barrel and compressing the spring when required. Secured, as by rivets 18, in the forward or shallow end of the pocket l2 is a resilient plate 19, extending rearwardly within the pocket and provided with a plurality of projections 20, extending yieldably into the path of the plunger 14, as shown. 21 isa trigger pivoted at Q2 in the deeper portion of the pocketwith one end extended into engagement with the free end of member 19 and the other end extended through an aperture 23 in the lower wall of the pocket and forming the pull portion of the trigger. By this simple arrangement it will be obvious that when the plunger is' drawn rearwardly by operating the arm 17 it will click over the projections 20 and will be held by any one of them at which it is desired to hold the plunger, so that the force exerted by the spring 15 when the trip-plate is released by operating the trigger may be gaged as desired.

Secured in the pocket 13 is a resilient member 2l, preferably in the forrr` f a wire, projecting into the interior of the barrel and forming a longitudinally-disposed resilient stop adapted to bear upon the projectile or charge which will be inthe form of a marble, as at Q5, or similar shaped object and hold it yieldably in place and prevent its falling from the barrel by gravity. By this simple means a marble or similar shaped projectile of the full size of the bore of the barrel may be employed, as the resilient holder 24 by being pressed entirely within the pocket I3 will l not prevent the insertion or discharge of the projectile of that size. The marble may thus be projected much more accurately than would be the case were it necessary to employ marbles materially less in diameter than the bore of the barrel.

The toy or pistol is simple in construction, can be cheaply manufactured, and will afford amusement and entertainment to children, especially boys, in playing' at marbles and similar games.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is l. In a device of the class described, a. barrel havinga spring-actuated plunger movable longitudinally therein, said barrel beingA provided with a plurality of pockets disposed longitudinally thereof and communicating therewith, a resilient charge-engaging stop seated in one of said pockets and forming a yieldable support for the charge in the barrel, a resilient plungerengaging plate secured in the Second pocket and having its free end yield- IOO ably extended into ythe path of the plunger, and a trigger connected to said barrel for withdrawing the free end of the plate to thereby release the plunger.

2. In a device of the Class described, a barof the seeond pocket and having a plurality I5 of spaced projections extending in the path of the plunger, and a trigger connected to the barrel for withdrawing said plate and its projeetions out of the path of the plunger to release the latter.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aHiXed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN MILLER CUTLER.

Witnesses:

J. E. LAYMAN, W. G. Pooen. 

